Plenty of anglers say they’d give their right arm to win an Elite Series tournament.
Elite Series sophomore Andrew Loberg is a day and a few damaged joints from proving that he means it.
The 32-year-old pro from California by way of Guntersville had a prop mishap early this morning and had to put on his spare. He had the tools, but perhaps the adrenaline caused him to be overzealous, and he inadvertently sliced up his dominant right hand.
It didn’t stop him. In fact, he caught 21 pounds, 4 ounces of Lake Murray bass to jump up to fifth place.
“You kind of forget about it after a while,” he said while waiting to weigh in his fish, looking down at digits held together by a mix of gauze and black electrical tape.
Of course, it wasn’t all unicorns and rainbows. He suspects that after scooping up bass after bass after bass with the injured hand, he might get “Lake Murray-itis.” That’s a first world problem, I suppose, nothing a six-figure check can’t or won’t cure.
Either way, he’ll be back at it tomorrow. And, like the proverbial one-armed wallpaper hanger, he and eight others will be ultra-busy chasing down South Carolina’s Brandon Cobb.
We’ve had three leaders in three days. Like herring moving from point to point, or first graders playing musical chairs, this one may not be decided until the tunes abruptly stop.
Here’s what I saw, heard, thought and guessed on a day when we flipped things around once again.
Batting Average – Through four Elite Series tournaments this year, Trey McKinney had made two Sunday appearances and hadn’t suffered a finish below 20th, for an average finish of 13.5. Throw in the runner-up result at the Classic and for the year his average finish has been 11.2. Somehow he’ll lower it this week, with a chance of dipping below 10 if he ends up in the Top 3. Remember, last year Chris Johnston won the AOY title without a single Top 10. It somehow seems poetic that McKinney is currently in second – just like his two runner-up AOY finishes and duet of runner-up Classic efforts.
Brandon Cobb – “Today Lake Murray, I liked it pretty good.”
Getting to Sunday – It took 63-2 to crack the Top 10, an average of just over 21 pounds per day. The difference between first and second is 1-7. Perhaps more telling is that the difference between first and 10th is just over 4 pounds.
Surge Squad Stats – Three Surge Squad members made the Top 10, and the fourth, Tucker Smith, finished 21st. All four topped 60 pounds.
- Average position: 9th
- Average weight through three days: 63-12
- Average weight per day: 21-4
Twenties – There were 19 bags of 20 pounds or more today, including Cobb’s tournament-best 26-10. There were none in the 24- or 25-pound class. The next best were Tyler Williams and Alex Redwine with 23-8 and 23-4, respectively. Neither made the Top 10. Only five anglers caught 20 each day. Four of them made the cut to Sunday. The lone angler who did not was Justin Atkins, who caught enough to finish 10th but tied with Drew Benton and was the first man outside by virtue of the tiebreaker.
Yo Ish – Ish Monroe, a Californian, won the first event in Elite Series history at Lake Amistad in 2006, but there’s been a long dry spell of late for anglers from that state. If Bryant Smith had won this event, he would have become the first California resident to win on the Senior Circuit since Monroe won at the Upper Mississippi in 2018. California native Mark Daniels Jr. won at South Dakota’s Lake Oahe in the tournament immediately after Monroe’s victory, but by that time he’d moved to Alabama. Jared Lintner, then an Elite pro who also the resided in California, won the Opens Championship later that same year. Ish’s streak is safe for another week.
Marks the Spot – When Paul Marks won at Hartwell last year, he started the tournament in third, moved to second the next day, held that position on Day 3, and ended up winning by 14 ounces over fellow Surge Squad member Tucker Smith with a Day 4….well, a Day 4 Surge. This week, he started off 14th, moved up to second, and then third, although his weight is the same as that of Trey McKinney in second. He was 3-9 out of the lead on Thursday, cut that margin by 2 pounds yesterday (down to 1-9), and now needs to make up a gap of 1-7 tomorrow to claim his second Elite victory.
Taku Ito (20th, 60-8) – “Usually I don’t like largemouth fishing, but Lake Murray – I love it.”
How is it possible? – Two-time Bassmaster Classic winner Jordan Lee has never won a regular season Elite Series tournament. His best finish was a runner-up to Kevin VanDam at Cayuga in 2016. Lee led Brett Hite by almost a pound heading into Day 4, and by 1-12 over VanDam, who was in third, but could not hold on and fell short by a little over a pound.
Caleb Hudson (6th, 64-8), on making his fifth straight cut, and third Day 4 appearance – “I know the first tournament I had some jitters. They’re kind of gone now.”
Atkins Diet – Justin Atkins was first man out of the cut the last time the Elites visited Lake Murray and finished 67th here in 2023, so his success this week may surprise some fishing fans – but it pays to remember that this is where he won $300,000 here in the 2017 Forrest Wood Cup. In that August tournament he weighed in 59-4 over three days, including 22-1 on Day 3, mostly throwing a chrome topwater. Third place in that event was Brandon Cobb. With Atkins finishing 11th this time, the affable Cobb will have the ability to extract a little revenge with a win tomorrow.
You Know, It’s Something Special – Mercer’s Jordan Lee impression.
Bites off the Cobb – Brandon Cobb started his Elite career with a flourish, winning two tournaments in 2019, his first season, but after five straight Classics from 2020 through 2024, he’s hit a bit of a lull, missing the last two. He also hasn’t made a top 10 since Lay Lake almost exactly three years ago (May 11-14, 2023). This season, of course, has started quite a bit better, with five straight cuts to Day 3, but this will be his first top 10 – and of course an opportunity to win for the first time in seven years.
David Gaston (42nd, 53-13) – “This is probably the best lake in the country to come and catch fish.”
Ups and Downs – Caleb Hudson and Robert Gee are the only members of the top 10 whose weights have gone up each day. None of the Top 10 have seen their weights go down every day.
Bests and Worsts – Hudson, Gee and Brandon Cobb were the only members of the Top 10 who had their best day today. Paul Marks and Drew Benton were the only two who had their worst day.
Limitology – Out of 50 anglers competing today, there were 49 limits.
A Tale of Three Day Threes – In 2023, the Top 10 after Day 3 was remarkably tightly packed. Kyoya Fujita led with 65-08, but eventual winner Drew Benton in 10th was only 4-15 back. By way of contrast, the next year’s winner Patrick Walters went into the final day with 67-3, leading by 8-4 over second and a hefty 13-10 over 10th. Walters dropped 26-12 on the scales that last day and extended his margin of victory to 12-11. Unless something from bizarroworld happens tomorrow, this may continue to be the closest of the bunch. As noted above, the delta between first and 10th is a mere 4-1. It’s anyone’s ball game.
Stay tuned. Lots of herring snacks are left to scoop up.
Hopefully no more injuries. Although sometimes it’s worth the pain.
